Should we have sex because we are middle-aged or older? What female doctors teach us in “Textbook of Adult Sexuality.”

While many middle-aged and older men and women in Japan are moving away from sex, there are many patients in their 50s and 60s who visit Dr. Chieko’s outpatient clinic who are enjoying their sex lives to the fullest, and the condition of their vaginas and other parts of their bodies are completely different when she examines them. As he commented at the beginning of his talk, sex is evidence of good health.

He said, “It’s hard to say in part which comes first: having sex because you are healthy, or being healthy because you are having sex. However, since sex itself is like exercise, it is thought to contribute to health by lengthening life expectancy as an exercise habit, or by lowering blood pressure, or by reducing stress and improving sleep quality, among other things.

In addition, on the mental side, skinship with a partner releases happy hormones such as oxytocin and serotonin. This has been shown to relieve stress and anxiety and lower depression levels.

Facing ED as a Health Issue First

For men, by far the most common change with aging is ED. According to Dr. Chieko, those who are unable to have sex because of ED must first confront ED as a health issue.

One of the causes of ED in middle-aged and older people is aging blood vessels. The arteries in the penis are among the thinnest arteries in the body, with a diameter of only about 1 to 2 mm. Even if large arteries such as the aorta do not show symptoms of arteriosclerosis, the thin arteries are prone to clogging and blood flow becomes more difficult. It is known that ED appears as a symptom of this. First of all, it may be necessary to look back at one’s lifestyle and eating habits.

If you are healthy, blood flows to the penis and the corpus cavernosum fills with blood to cause an erection. However, if your blood vessels are damaged due to hypertension, dyslipidemia, or diabetes, blood flow will also be poor.

One way to treat ED is to use ED medications.

Another symptom of aging is delayed ejaculation, which occurs when the speed of neurotransmission decreases, making it difficult to respond to stronger stimulation than before, and premature ejaculation, which is caused by a decline in muscle strength.